So I picked up a set of 16" E39 style 29 wheels with Conti touring tires in great condition. I mounted them on to my E34 525 , which instantly started riding like a Jerry Lee Lewis concert (whole lotta shakin going on). I know I need to have the tires rebalanced, but I also hear that Bimmers need hubcentric rings when swapping wheels too.
So my 2 questions are, first, what size do I need, and second, where is the best place to get them? Preferably the metal type so that I won't need to replace them every time I switch from summer to winter wheels. Are the rings on eBay any good?
Thanks in advance for the help.
Rings are rings, ebay should be fine. Look up the hub size for your car, and measure the bore size on the wheels.
Also, it has nothing to do with it being a BMW or not. It's the type of lug nut, and how tightly the the lugs fit in the wheel lug holes.
The E39 has a weird hub bore diameter that's larger than most other BMWs. If you want hubcentric spacers (and personally, I think you do want them), make sure you get a set that is specifically fitted to E39 wheels.
According to This website E34s have a center bore of 72.56 mm, and E39s have a center bore of 74.1 mm. A difference of about 1.5 mm, that sounds like a pretty thin ring.
In reply to 02pilot: where would I find rings specifically for E39 rims on E34 sized hubs?
You need OD=74.1mm ID=72.56mm. You can get plastic or aluminum ones, I think plastic will work but I went with aluminum for a few more dollars.
Here's some for sale on eBay - I think this is the place I bought mine but it's been a few years. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUB-CENTRIC-RING-RINGS-ALUMINUM-ALLOY-74-1-74-72-56-72-6-/150779834544
If you're looking for just rings, it's going to be hard to find them that small. There's a guy on r3vlimited that makes custom spacers, but he has a limit on ring thickness, and 1mm is well below that.
Go get them balanced, and make sure you don't have flat spots. You should be good, I wouldn't worry about rings.
Running e39 wheels on e28 or e34 cars is pretty popular and the hubcentric rings are pretty much required. They're easy enough to find (see the ebay link above), you can also get them from The Tire Rack as well as other sources.
Try torquing the wheels off the ground
Yeah, you need the rings. Any of the BMW aftermarket places or eBay will have them. Minimum investment to keep your fillings in place.
